My Inner Alysa Liu and Another Mercantile Block

Alysa Liu may be the most joyful human I have ever seen. This young woman makes me smile every time I watch her. I love her No Rules and I Don't Care If I Fall and I'm Doing It My Way attitude, and yes even her frenulum piercing and halo hair have grown on me. She is mindful of others as she follows her own heart, and I just think she is a much-needed breath of fresh air in the skating world as well as in life.

Halo hair!

I am channeling my inner Alysa Liu this year. You might say this is my Halo Hair moment as I look at sewalongs and old and new projects and even organizing my space with a new sense of freedom. For the first time since I started quilting, my approach is based on emotional response rather than rules, and this is the right path for me. This is probably not a new concept for you, but it is for me. Something changed for me this year, and my angst, depression, feeling overwhelmed, and lack of motivation has faded away. Thank goodness!

Mercantile Block - Grandma's Quilt

Grandma's Quilt block, fourth block in the 2024 Mercantile Sewalong

I am no longer thinking of the amount of fabric in Lori Holt's Mercantile block patterns as "waste" but rather as extra for future projects (thank you Nancy!) And after reading a few great suggestions, I gave thought to the sensible option of trimming fabric after appliqueing but ultimately decided against it (although if I was hand quilting this quilt, I would trim away that thickness). Here are the persuading quotes I selected from Lori's tutorial regarding why she does not cut away the extra fabric from the back of the appliqued pieces:

"I do not trim away any of my fabric after applique. This goes for ALL of my

applique quilts. I enjoy the texture and stability of the layers of fabric ... 

... and may I also add that the appliques also look amazing when quilted

because they really pop because they are ON TOP of the fabric!!

They look like round quilty sugar cookies on top of a 4-Patch"

That last sentence did it for me! You can read her whole entertaining conversation about it right here (scroll down past midway).

This fabric arrived today, and it is for a new project that has me quite excited! My to-do list keeps growing, and I hope I can do it all. But if I don't, it's OK, it is just fun trying!

I am adding this post to Melva's Sew and Tell

Sunday Not-So-Slow Stitching and Little House SAL

Sunday Stitching

This quilt was a flimsy finish in April 2019 (when I was blogging as "My Sew Called Quilts).  It was interesting for me to see that some things have improved in almost 7 years. I spent 30 minutes last night restitching the edges where I did not backstitch the seams - every single one. And after sandwiching it, I see a few waves and ruffles. And that is all OK with me, it shows me I have improved, and it will all even out with quilting and laundering. Once it is quilted and bound, it will be my "Baker's Dozen" finish for February.

I will take a break this morning to go mattress hunting for my husband. We have an adjustable bed with two twin XL mattresses so we can each have personal sleeping positions, and the two mattresses on the adjustable frame make a king-sized bed. We laugh about this, because we slept on a standard/regular mattress for several years early in our marriage, and now that would feel like a twin mattress!

Little House SAL

This is the second week of Little House Sampler Sew Along, hosted by Melva of Melva Loves Scraps and inspired by the Laura Ingalls Wilder Little House series. Melva is a master story-teller and has the ability to relate simple stories to beautifully designed blocks. This makes for a rich and rewarding experience when you join one of her sewalongs!

It isn't too late to join in, and you will find details for the block for this week by clicking on the logo above. The patterns are free for the duration of the sewalong - AND - there are prizes to be had! Melva emailed me this morning to inform me that I had won a fat quarter for the first week - so yay! 

The block for this second week is Native Star and is based the visit from The Natives in my favorite book of the series - Little House on the Prairie. The blocks are 16-1/2 inches unfinished.

 I used a lighter print on the points, so you need this closeup to see the star in the center block

My experience with "natives" does not compare to that of the Ingalls family. I have no "Indigenous people" ancestry, but I grew up in northeastern Oklahoma, which was and still is dominated by the Cherokee Nation. From 1966-1970 we attended Northeastern State College (now University) in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, the historic and present capital of the Cherokee Nation. Our yearbook was called Tsa-La-Gi, the Cherokee word for "Cherokee". Tahlequah is located in the beautiful foothills of the Ozarks and is worth a visit. We have it on our bucket list this year to go see what has changed!

I am joining  Melva at the Little House linkup and Kate at 15 Minutes to Stitch

2026 SAHRR - Round 5 and Mercantile Sewalong

SAHRR Round 5

Quilting Gail provided the prompt this week for Round 5 of the 2026 Stay At Home Round Robin. You will find Gail's pretty version of "two colors" right here.

Since my husband and I were both born and raised in Oklahoma, I chose The Road to Oklahoma as my 2-color block for his future quilt. This block easily lends itself to the two colors I picked - red and blue.. I needed a pattern for a 10-1/2 inch unfinished block and found a free PDF for 7 sizes on Scissortail Quilting, a blog by a quilter from northeastern Oklahoma who lives near our childhood hometown.

Here are all the SAHRR blocks so far around the panel

Mercantile Maple Leaf Block

This is the third block I have made from Lori Holt's 2024 Mercantile Sewalong.

Here are the three blocks I have made so far. I really enjoy making these blocks, but as Karen and many others have mentioned, there is a LOT of fabric waste written into these patterns. I made HSTs from some of the leftovers, but with the extravagant use of fabric, I am reconsidering making the full 25 blocks.

I am adding this post to Quilting Gail's linkup

Sunday Stitching

These blocks are from the Mercantile SAL hosted by Fat Quarter Shop a few years ago. Karen got me interested in it. If you click on this link, scroll down to see her pretty blocks. I really enjoyed the two blocks I made before I put it all aside.. Karen recently put her blocks on her design wall, and I am Inspired to start up again.

I made the Birthday Cake block and Angel Star block in 2024, and next on my list is the Maple Leaf block.

I found a literal "mystery" quilt this morning with completely different sized pieces than the pattern I had included with it! The 150+ cut squares and rectangles are fall colors, and I think I might have done it in 2022. I have tried a star placement for those 2-inch HSTs, but the don't match up with any of the other pieces. Hopefully I can figure it out.

Hubs is anxious to start grilling our steaks (it's only 12:30!), so I'll quickly add this to Kate's 15 Minutes To Stitch and to Melva's Sew and Tell on Monday. Have a lovely Sunday!

SAHRR - Round 4 and RSC - February Green Blocks

SAHRR - Round 4

This week Wendy provided the prompt for the fourth round of the 2026 SAHRR by choosing curves. For my interpretation of the prompt, I made "curved log cabin" blocks. I love this offset version where the logs are different widths and give the illusion of a curve. I tried in vain to find "log" measurements for a 10-1/2 inch block, but finally just winged it. While looking, I found a very interesting post at Canuck Quilter showing various layouts of these pretty blocks.

Here is how all the blocks look with the panel so far. My blocks are 10-1/2 inches unfinished.

2026 RSC - February Green 

RSC February green blocks

My RSC blocks this year will ultimately become a Nine Patch and Snowball quilt, inspired by Nancy, Saija, and Blue Elephant Stitches. If you click on those links, you will find my favorite versions of this pattern. I like the light text print snowball and dark corners with the colorful nine-patches. Google search results in many variations, including a lovely one by Susies-Scraps.com that looks completely different because of the placement of white in her nine-patches.

Here are the blues from January with the greens from February, along with the snowball blocks. I'm looking forward to some warm colors!

I am adding my post to:

Wendy's linkup

Chris's TGIFF

SAHRR - Round 3 and Other Sewalong Blocks

Little House SAL

Melva at Melva Loves Scraps has been teasing us with this Sew-Along by making the prettiest blocks inspired by the Little House series of books by Laura Ingalls Wilder. Last week she released the first block, a Maple Leaf framed by log cabin blocks. The inspiration for Block 1, in Melva's words, "The family lived off the land.  Pa hunted the wildlife, they grew a garden, and they tapped the maple trees to make maple syrup." To find more information about the SAL click the logo in my sidebar. It is not too late to join in!

Although I knew this SAL was coming up, I had chosen neither a colorway nor any fabrics So yesterday I stood in front of my fabric shelves and just picked fabrics I liked and ended up with a flower garden theme/palette. I will add to my fabric pull as we go along, but so far I like the mix - and I love the block.

2026 SAHRR Week 3

"Puss In The Corner" blocks

Emily from The Darling Dogwood chose "Animal Kingdom" as the prompt for round 3 of the SAHRR. This could be an applique, a block that looks like an animal, fabric with animals, or a block named after an animal. A big thank-you to Kathleen for posting photos of a variety of animal themed blocks. My best connection to the animal kingdom is through my cats, so I chose the "Puss In The Corner" block. 

I am making two blocks for each prompt in harmonizing colors for the starting panel.

2026 A Quilting Life BOM

Sherri at A Quilting Life released the second block (top block in photo) for the month of February. My blocks are being made with a Peppermint Bark layer cake by Moda.

I am adding my post to the following:

Melva's Little House SAL

Kate's 15 Minutes to Stitch

SAHRR block is added to the linkup at Emily's blog

2026 SAHRR - Round 2

Double Irish Chain blocks

Last week I fell in love with an online pattern for scrappy Ohio Stars and Double Irish Chains. I decided to make up my own version, and you can read about it here. For the "hourglass" prompt last week, I added Ohio Stars to my SAHRR panel and was hoping I could include a double Irish chain at some point. Guess what - Kathleen of Kathleen McMusing blog provided the prompt for week 2 and chose "Make it a double", so a double Irish chain it is!

Double Irish chain blocks and Ohio Stars blocks with starting center panel

I am making two sampler blocks for each round to add to this panel that my husband loves. For the double Irish chain blocks, I made a 25-patch designed with light squares that ultimately result in a chain. The chain will not really be noticeable on a single block, but I like the scrappiness of the block with the panel.

This is a photo of the pattern that began my Double Irish Chain and Ohio Stars obsession. Isn't it pretty! I decided to go ahead and buy it, because I feel that the person who authored the pattern deserves to be paid for the design I love so much. If you are interested, click on the photo to go the Etsy page (it was sold out as of this week), or you can do a search for "Layer Cake Ladder" quilt pattern by the Tipsy Needle.

I am adding this post to Kathleen's linkup - go see what "doubles" the other participants have made!

Crossroads Star Wall Quilt

This quilt started out as a center for my 2023 SAHRR. But I loved this block and was afraid I would mess it up, so I changed my mind and put it aside. The pattern is called Delectable Starburst, and you can read all the details of how I found the pattern from a Pinterest photo right here.

The colors in this afghan bed runner in the guest bedroom served as inspiration for the quilt colors. Jack was a big help in pointing out loose threads.

I added a fussy cut center to the block and a dark blue metallic gold-flecked fabric for borders. The wall quilt finished at 36" x 36" and will reside in the guest bedroom. I'll try to update the photo after we rearrange a bit in that room.

For the backing, I found a block I made last August using the Plaidberry pattern and added batik borders to make it fit the front. I like the back enough to use it in the fall, so this little quilt is reversible.

I used a stiffer fusible batting so it will hang nicely, and quilting was mostly stitch in the ditch.

My husband, who is my biggest fan and master quilt holder (and usually not fond of orange or purple shades in a quilt) said "wow this is really nice" and told me he loves the colors in this quilt!

A Quilting Life 2026 BOM Block One

This is the first block of the 2026 Block Of The Month hosted by Sherri at A Quilting Life, and you can find the pattern right here. I like the pace if a BOM - no stress and a month to get the block done! The block finishes at 12.5 inches, and I look forward to having a Christmas quilt done in December.

I used Moda's Peppermint Bark, a layer cake I treated myself to for Christmas. The collection isfrom  Basic Grey, one of my all time favorite designers.

Four inches+ of sleet, 12°, wind, and drifts will keep us in for a couple days!

My Hubby hurt his back trying to remove a hard-packed sleet drift outside our patio door. You see how far he got before he had to groan his way to the sofa with a bottle of Aleve and a heat pad. Poor guy!

This drift near our front door is about 3 feet high

We won't be venturing out until at least Tuesday, when the temperature is supposed to get above freezing. We are very thankful to our power did not go out!

Linking to the following:

Kate's 15 Minutes to Stitch

Melva's Sew and Tell

2026 SAHRR Round 1

 

Scrappy Ohio Stars and Double Irish chain blocks from yesterday

Yesterday I was distracted by a "shiny thing" -  a pattern I loved involving Ohio Stars and a Double Irish Chain. The pattern was only available in paper, and it would not be here until next week, so I decided to try my own version. I followed Julie's tutorial at The Crafty Quilter and made an Ohio Star block and a chain block using 2.5 inch scrappy squares.

My Round 1 hourglass blocks with  panel

My Round 1 hourglass blocks

Imagine my surprise and delight to click on Brenda's post this morning and find that hourglass or quarter square triangles are her prompt for the first round AND she linked to Julie's tutorial! I already had practice, so all I had to do was pick out fabrics and make those blocks. I will be making sampler blocks to go around my starting block - the rustic barn-themed panel. I am planning a total of 12 blocks, so I will make two for each round.

I am linking with Brenda's post. Go check out the other interpretations of the prompt!

The Next Shiny Thing, My Baker's Dozen, and RSC

The photo below is my Next Shiny Thing. I am borrowing this phrase from Terry at On Going Projects, who commented about her attraction to "the next shiny thing". I was immediately drawn to that phrase - it sounds so much better than "Squirrel"! So thank you Terry for that nice substitute.

Not mine! Photo from Stitched In Color

I've been an off-and-on reader of Rachel Hauser's Stitched In Color for years. Last year was quite interesting as she purchased and started the process of furnishing a 1905 home in The Netherlands with her now ex-boyfriend. I guess she will not be continuing that adventure, but this quilt she made, first for their living room before moving it to her guest room, really captured my fancy. I love everything about this quilt, so I purchased the pattern - Honeycomb Stars. The options are for a throw size, using 2-inch hexagons and a queen/king size, using 4-inch hexagons. I plan to make the queen/king size.

Me when I realized I bought the wrong size hexagon template

I am new to hexagons, so when the 4-inch hexagon template I ordered arrived, I quickly realized it was the wrong size and returned it. I emailed Rachel to ask what size of template I needed for the queen/king size, and her response was that hexagon sizes are determined by the actual finished size of one of the sides. I had ordered the 4-inch thinking it was the finished size across, if that makes sense. So I ordered an 8" finished size hexagon template, and it will be delivered on Thursday.

Our current bedspread, right after it was purchased in 2021 at Kohl's

My husband has grown weary of my love of grays and neutrals and wants more color in our bedroom. I would love to surprise him with a colorful hexagon quilt this year.

The initial pull, with many more to follow to accommodate light/dark values.

My 2026 Baker's Dozen Lost Quilts

This list is inspired by Mary Etherington of Country Threads who hosts "Dirty Dozen UFOs" each year. I have renamed my list Baker's Dozen Lost Quilts to include a 13th quilt (actually two small quilts from the same pattern). They have been "lost" in my closet, so they get a softer term than UFO.

Rosie's Garden was #1 on my list and is my first finished lost quilt of the new year. When I put the freshly laundered and cozily puckered quilt on the guest bed, Jack immediately claimed Rosie's quilt as his.

RSC

My Rainbow Scrap Challenge blocks are coming along, but my blue scrap bin is not getting smaller! I think the scraps get fluffed up as I dig through them - lol! These blocks will eventually make a nine-patch and snowballs quilt. Here you see the blue nine-patches mixed in with the snowballs.

I am adding this post to the following:

Kate's 15 Minutes to Stitch

Melva's Sew and Tell

2026 SAHRR Starting Block

 

This is my big (34 inch by 44 inch panel) "starting block" for the 2026 Stay At Home Round Robin, aka SAHRR. Each week one of the hosts (see list below) will provide a prompt to add a quilting element to our starting block. Typically these would be done in borders, but I have a little bit different plan.

Did I mention there will be prizes? It isn't too late to get in on the fun - just click the logo in my sidebar for more details!

This panel was part of the backing for a quilt I had on my design board last year. Hubs strolled in and saw it and said "wow that's nice, who's that for?" Well I rescued that panel and chose an alternate plan for the quilt on the design board, and now this panel will be on the front of a quilt for him!

My initial fabric pull includes some red corduroy from Hubs' old shirt,

and the blue flannel will possibly become the backing

I think these colors will work with the panel, and

I'll be looking for a touch of green and adding a few neutrals

Today Gail is hosting the first linkup for everyone's starting block - click on this link to see all of them. Here is a list of the hosts - click on the links to see their starting blocks!

Brenda at Songbird Designs

Kathleen at Kathleen McMusing

Emily at The Darling Dogwood

Wendy at Pieceful Thoughts

Gail at Quilting Gail

Anja at Anja Quilts